I just finished the documentary on Netflix. It's both an overview of the concept of the technological singularity and a tender biography of one of its biggest proponents, Ray Kurzweil.

Computer engineer and renaissance man, Ray is painted with a semi-tragic brush. He lost his father when he was only 58 and since then has been building a philosophy and promoting technology that may eventually prevent death or even bring back the dead by way of A.I. simulations.

I was a little surprised that a documentary about the Singularity did not once mention the inventor of the concept - math professor and my favorite SF author - Vernor Vinge. I guess they were trying to enhance credibility by leaving out a science fiction author. But the other luminaries that they did use - seemed a bit on the kooky side.

It's worth watching just for the interesting bio of Kurzweil - I have to admit that after viewing it, I'm less confident about his prognostication. He is a prophet - but driven by his own longings and pain, the certainty he possesses about the coming nature of the singularity is anything but empirical. He wants to be saved from death. He wants to recreate his father as an AI based on stacks of his father's letters– and Ray's own memories, plucked from his mind by nanobots.

I want the same things as Ray, I'm just not as confident they're coming the way he wants. As a species we have a horrible, horrible track record at predicting the future. However, even though we're bad at it, it's important to try. The best ideas still come out of the SF world. Read some Vinge or Charles Stross's excellent Accelerando as a start. I'm rooting for Kurzweil but I don't think I'll sell off my spot in the family cemetery plot yet.